Kamehameha’s winning streak has followed a distinctive pattern: Brooke Baptiste enters the pitching circle and doesn’t lose and someone from the deep lineup swings a mighty bat.
It was a matchup between the league’s two most dominant programs. Unbeaten Kamehameha, the Division II state runner-up and winner of the last seven straight BIIF titles against Waiakea, the four-time Division I champion.
Instead, Senior day for Kamehameha on Saturday at the Walter Victor complex turned into another stellar outing for Baptiste, who fired a three-hitter in a 7-1 win over Waiakea to conclude a perfect regular season record.
Baptiste, a senior right-hander, allowed an unearned run, walked two and struck out six to end the day on a happy note for fellow senior starters Kuulei Ili and Jolie Kim.
Leiloa Bustamante provided a jolt of early offense with a first-inning two-run homer. The junior third baseman finished 1 for 3 with two RBIs. The offense added two runs in the fourth and fifth.
Except for No. 9 hitter Kealohi Grace, everyone in the lineup had a hit, run or RBI. The Warriors struck out just twice and put pressure on the defense with constant balls in play.
Waiakea ace Halee Sweat took the loss in four innings and gave up five runs. Alyssa McKeague pitched two innings of two-run relief.
Baptiste has been so good that her performances have become bankable wins. Brooke’s on the mound, it’s all good. That’s the way it’s been all season.
Sometimes, she’ll walk a half-dozen batters to make things interesting. But when she keeps free passes to a minimum, Baptiste is tough to beat. She’s also sparing in self-evaluation.
“My stuff was all right. It was off and on,” she said. “I was kind of hitting my spots but not really.”
Meanwhile, Bustamante, a starter as a freshman, brings all kinds of good stuff to the game. She’s a powerful bat with a beauty of a swing and a solid third baseman with soft hands and a rifle arm.
“She’s learned to stay consistent with her swing and not overswing,” Kamehameha coach Akea Kiyuna said. “She has to trust her swing and know how powerful she is, and she’s been coming through with consistent hits.”
She learned her hitting during T-ball time from Tony Young, coach of the Puna Dodgers. Her hitting approach is a simple one.
“Our coach (Akea Kiyuna) tells us to stay down and keep your swing going. That’s what I did,” Bustamante said about her homer. “It was the second pitch of my at-bat.
“I look for a ball in the zone, and when I see it, I just hit it. Every win has been a team win. We played for our seniors and know what we wanted.”
Kamehameha wants to finish the BIIF season unbeaten. The Warriors will draw Konawaena in the BIIF semifinal series. A clean record will draw a likely No. 1 or 2 seed for states.
That’s down the line thinking. Next up is the focus on the BIIF postseason. But a senior celebration highlighted the day.
“The girls have worked hard,” Kiyuna said. “They’ve earned all of it. We’re lucky to coach them. All the credit goes to them.”
